Rating: 4đ
Once again, a glorious cover pulled me to a book and got me to the description and the decision to read the story. See the artist credits below. A Tale of Whispers and Rogues by Jordan Lee is the first in the Shadowborn fantasy series and I was really entertained by the world building and characters.
This is a very much a fast paced action adventure with a slow burn romance thread that builds as a small group of people journey or flee across the country. Why they are running, the political and religious state of the world and countries are revealed as the group flees.
Thatâs Uncle Amias who works for The Legion. The Legion is the worldâs governing body. Next is Colt OâMalley, a former thief, fighter and gambler whoâs indebted to Amias, and most importantly, thereâs Amiasâ nephew, Owen Greene. Owen, who has led a life of temporary homes and caregivers, is finally orphaned fully into his Uncleâs care, only to be left behind again. The truth behind his story becomes clear at the beginning of the journey when Amias and Colt come to collect him. Events force the disclosure that Owen is a Shadowborn.
Lee does a powerful job in showing the tragic events that lead up to Amias abandoning his job and running to gather up Owen. Also the pain of Owen leaving behind the only real home heâs ever had. All to flee for his life.
Itâs about religion, magic, interpretation of that religious word and the actual horrors being enacted by fanatical factions in power to keep their beliefs intact. Including acts that have ended up destroying lives, many of which are children.
The storylines and characters are great. I was absolutely invested in this journey because of them and the growth that I saw. And the mysteries being laid out still in the landscape and the mythology.
However, Lee also decided to throw in multiple POVs, beyond that of the expected two main characters of Colt and Owen, and honestly, it weakens the narrative and the suspense that builds upon that singular experience between the one group because if you are experiencing it from just their perspective, then anything else is going to be a surprise to you as well.
Iâm not a fan of this format, it rarely makes sense, and for me, it doesnât here.
It also changes the way the book ends. Not from a HFN but to a cliffhanger.
A Tale of Whispers and Rogues: An MM Fantasy Romance (Shadowborn Book 1) by Jordan Lee is a very good, well crafted, and involved read. I think its sequel is going to be even better. I canât wait to see where the author takes the story next. A definite recommendation.
Gorgeous covers on both.
Book cover art by Olga Panfilova Book cover design by Selkkiedesigns
Shadowborn series:
â A Tale of Whispers and Rogue #1
⌠A Saga of Wielders and Hunters #2
Buy link
A Tale of Whispers and Rogues: An MM Fantasy Romance (Shadowborn)
blurb
Owen Greene must die.
Being Shadowborn, the Essence of a fallen god runs through Owenâs veins. It gives him power, but it comes with a bullseye painted on his back, one the Legion is determined to hit once they learn he exists. Wielding such power comes at the cost of his life, and with the Legion close to finding him, Owen must leave his home to escape their hands.
Charged with protecting Owen, Colt OâMalley knows the dangers that might accompany them. He’s been tasked with protecting Owen on their dangerous journey with the promise that he can go home at the end of it. But what Colt didnât count on was just how often that dimpled smile and tender-hearted Shadowborn would weaken him.
Fleeing the country to escape the Legion might have been their main goal, but neither Owen nor Colt had planned on falling for each other along the way. And with the Legion on their heels, falling in love couldnât have happened at a worse time.
A Tale of Whispers and Rogues is an M/M fantasy romance featuring a man gifted with the cursed power of a fallen god, the handsome rogue sworn to protect him, ruthless henchman, a mysterious shadow, a slow burn romance, and a budding romance with a HFN ending
⢠Publication date: March 19, 2024
⢠Language: English
⢠File size: 6871 KB
⢠Print length: 431 pages
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 